I have had to expunge my anger by composing a rant. I feel better.
All I have to do now is revamp the content for the Waterways Minister
and my MP.
By the way the TV licence folk have left me alone for 3 months
concerning Staffy's place. I suppose the cell earmarked for me has
been filled by somebody driving and using a mobile phone.
Happy Xmas everybody. See you in Ireland, or France or Poland
Beeky
James Young Business Development Manager BW South West
Ian Jarvis General Manager BW South West
Robin Evans, Simon Salem and other parties who should be interested
Mooring fees EOG G&S Canal
----------------------------------
I have returned home this weekend, after a long and arduous working
week, to find your letter of 12th nestling among the many seasonal
goodwill messages.
Happy Christmas to you as well.
I have read the content 3 times, each time with increasing outrage at
your callous and complete disregard for my status as a customer and
your own role as custodians of our waterways network
It occurs to me you may actually have no idea that the closing lines
of your 5 convoluted paragraphs should read, in bold text.
YOUR MOORING FEES ARE GOING UP BY 23% WHICH MEANS A TOTAL OF 39% OVER
A 2 YEAR PERIOD AND YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PAY, OR GIVE UP YOUR
BOAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A MONOPOLY
Do you and your colleagues really believe this is at all justifiable ?
Frankly I find the tone of your publicly available Managers
Briefing document naïve, condescending, dismissive and offensive. But
then this is the panto season.
The schedule of pricing you mention is not available on Waterscape
but then very little information of value is available from that source.
Do not forget that there is no free market for moorings in this area
and you seem to be simply forcing the price upwards in order to set
the price level you aspire to charge in the new marina at Saul. In
fact it seems to me that you are unfairly targeting boat owners in
general and narrowboat owners in particular. Is it not true from your
own research that boat owners constitute just 3% of visits by the
public to the waterways ? Yet according to your own figures
boatowners contribute 10% of the revenue needed to run the waterways.
Is it not also true that this 10% is understated because you choose
not to include significant sums contributed by boaters through . . .
end of garden and towpath moorings, profits from BWML marinas,
connection charges paid by private marinas and who knows what else ?
Isnt it time you made a full and complete disclosure of your income
from the boaters pockets that you are evermore intent on emptying ?
So far as the moorings pricing fiasco is concerned (and do not forget
the debacle of the auctions) this is clearly price rigging in its most
basic form and someone will undoubtedly be taking your organisation to
court over this. My interest in boating is relaxation away from the
hustle and bustle of business life otherwise I might personally
explore the options for a legal battle.
I suggest you are abusing your monopoly on an organisational and
probably on a governmental level. Every narrowboat owner has an asset
exclusively designed for the British waterway system. You as managers
have a monopoly and are rigging prices in the manner of an exclusive
cartel. You are imposing extortional financial penalties on each and
everyone of us.
Dont forget that we are also going to pay double the price for our
fuel due to the changes relating to red diesel.
Dont forget either that it is possible to be a boater and a lawyer.
How much of the income from boaters are you now going to spend
defending your actions through the national and EU courts ?
Quite frankly British Waterways has taken leave of its senses on this,
as many other topics, and whereas my life plans did involve being a
long term user of your system I am now making alternative arrangements
for the mid term. I have no short term options but to concede to your
extortion, but dont expect me to enjoy it.
On the basis of your proposed costs and the number of days I have been
able to spend on my boat this year I could soon be paying British
Waterways £150 per day afloat. Plus of course insurance, fuel,
maintenance and depreciation. That is a ludicrous amount of money.
For well less than double that cost per day my wife and I could be
flown half way around the world, cruise on a luxury liner in a warm
climate including full board, fuel, insurance, maintenance and
entertainment.
Do the financial comparisons stack up ?
Whereas I was until recently a sympathiser to the problems and
challenges faced by British Waterways this sympathy has evaporated
and, like most other boaters, I now regard you with high levels of
suspicion bordering on contempt. This will not affect my relationship
with your field staff who I admire and respect for being subjected to
the most difficult of working environments by your politically
influenced management.
Your briefing document encourages managers to define robust mooring
pricing from which I deduce you expect to come under siege. No
surprises for you just around the corner then.
Your document also suggests that your managers should have no reason
to feel awkward about your behaviour, but you must all know this is
just so much hollow propaganda. It is time for you to leave the
business rather than kowtow to such abject hypocrisy. Is the new
office in Clarendon Road, Watford named Kamikaze House ? Do you
imagine Dick Turpins mother kissed him goodbye in the morning with a
sense of pride and morality ?
What you propose is robbery, and you are not even applying the stealth
or sensitivity your own documents advocate. Why does your letter make
no reference to phasing of such large increases as stated in your
briefing document ?
Be under no illusion . . . you are presiding over the second period
of decline of Britains waterways. Take no pride in that dreadful
truth. In 50 years time our descendants will be asking how on earth we
could allow such unique assets to be mis-managed into decay.
Whereas today the railway system of 50 years ago would be an asset for
transportation, so the waterways could and should have been such a
great asset for leisure in the years to come.
Sadly, you are messing it all up under a veil of politically motivated
twaddle !
And now I will close this message and begin to think of Christmas.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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